I can still recall the night in my mind very clearly. It was a Saturday, sometime during the fall of 1994.I went with some friends to a gym not too far from where I grew up located inside the church of St. Tolentine. It’s located in the Fordam section of The Bronx. Tolentine was a place we would all go play basketball when leagues started up for the cold months. But on this night the basketball court was not packed with dudes in long shorts chasing a ball. Instead, on this very special evening the floor was packed with kids from all over the five burroughs.
From Harlem to Inwood (where i grew up), and the NE Bronx, it seemed like every neighboorhood crew we knew was there. Girls with the shortest skirts I had ever seen, guys spread out in packs across the floor; some battlin’ some just postin up drinkin 40’s. I was in hanging out with some friends on a wall. A girl I liked was leaning up against my shoulder. A tiny little Puerto Rican beauty named Angie with the sweetest voice imaginable.
There was an air of excitement and speculation in the air. Big L was going to be there doing his first solo performance. L had been gaining some serious underground buzz for his part in Childern of the Corn a rap group comprised of neighboorhood friends from Harlem, Ma$e, Cam’ron (”Killa Kam” pre-basketball, purple, or pink), McGruff, and Cam’s cousin Bloodshed who in 1996 died in a trajic car accident.
Early on, a few local rappers took the stage to do some sets, mostly unorganized and bombastic, teams of sloppy rappers rhyming on top of each other. A few bright spots, but otherwise a car load of uneventful MC’s. But around 10pm a buzz began to circulate that Big L had finally showed up and was in a back room warming up.
I quietly found my best friend and quickly made my way into a back hallway that led around to the other side of the 
building. I cut downstairs and found myself outside a small room with a crowd of dudes much taller than me (I was about 5′6 when I was 14) smoking blunts and talking loudly. But just over their voices was a razor sharp cadence spit ferosiously like a verbal machine gun. It was Big L warming up while a Mobb Deep instrumental played in the background.
I slipped into the room among the crowd of giants almost completely unnoticed. Everyones attention focused on the marvel in the corner dropping the craziest punchlines anyone had ever heard. Why you ask? Because Big L INVENTED the punchline.
That’s right, all those kids you hear on mixtapes, and on the internet ending their verses with a comical or posionus statement that makes the crowd go “oh!!”…Big L did it first. Okay…maybe there is some dude on a corner somewhere who REALLY has claim to being the punchline innovator, but to this day nobody has ever done it bigger or better than Big L.
For example:
“You aint a leader, nobody ever follows you…
you was never shit, ya mother shoulda swallowed you!”…
Word. So there I am, in a tiny room several feet away from the immortal Big L. After he ceases to spit, I manage to get a nod off in his direction that got me a slight “what up” in return. That was enough for me.
I headed back onto the gym floor and told Angie about my adventures back stage. She seemed impressed. I got myself a nice long kiss out of it, and as we all know kisses when you were 14 were the shit.
Big L’s set was amazing. Even though it seemed half of Harlem was on stage with him echoing every other word, L stood out. When the beat came on for “MVP”, the whole crowd went crazy. At the time it was probably the hottest song underground in NYC. The one thing I’ll always remember was the green leather jacket Big L was wearing. At the time I thought it was the coolest thing I’d ever seen. I have yet to see one like it. If I ever do it’s mine!
The most unfortunate theme of the 1990’s was that a young generation had to witness 
many of it’s most talented and brightest stars cut down in their prime violently. River Phoenix, TuPac Shakur, Chris Wallace, Kurt Cobain, Aaliyah, etc. It’s a sad and extremely overwhelming reality that has created the constant feeling of a bummer which floats beneath the emotional surface of anyone forced to live with all these tragedies. We have all been robbed and there is nothing to do except wonder what may have been.
Although Big L never reached the pop icon stature of those artists, he had certainly become a star in his own right and had amassed a loyal cult following. Sadly his life was cut short on the evening of February 15, 1999 when he was shot 9 times in the head and chest blocks away from his home in Harlem. Another senseless death of a rap star clouded in mysterious circumstances. Lamont “Big L” Coleman was only 24 years old at the time of his death.
Despite his short life, Big L remains an inspiration to rappers and artists all over the world. He is revered as one of the best lyricists of all time, and an innovator in his craft. On a personal level, Big L provided me with one of the fondest memories of my teenage years. His music will always harken me back to an amazing period of my life when everything was new, and anything seemed possible. 
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August 13th, 2006 at 10:00 pm
Michael, you impress me Mr. Harris. I like the style of this piece, its refreshing as hell, I would have never thought to write something like this. It\’s wonderful. You are right. Big L did cast light on an emcee style that the newschool has begun to abuse and misuse. Mike you\’re a star, thank you for this article, I knew it was dope before I read it. Keep making music smile. I & I.
August 15th, 2006 at 10:10 pm
Mike - you told this so well - please write more
August 31st, 2006 at 3:50 pm
you can never replace the devil’s. the dude was to smooth with the rap shit. big l formed one of the illest crews ever to come out. but still nobody knows about it. i guess the best things are better kepted secret till i come out
June 10th, 2007 at 11:01 am
Big L had that “whatever” that makes an emcee great.
You can’t really put your finger on it… his flow, his delivery, it just hit.
Ah would have loved to hear more.